


Watercolor Heart

by UnintentionalJesus



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, I'll add more tags later, M/M, Slow Burn, Spoilers, billy has trauma, idk where this is going but its going
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-24 03:42:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20351806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnintentionalJesus/pseuds/UnintentionalJesus
Summary: It all started as a joke, but it didn't stay that way for long.Steve finally gave in to the Party's running joke that he should stop being a sad sack and be friends with Billy. Things took a weird turn from there.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Okay y'all this is my first fic like ever. Im nervous about it so be gentle but please hit me with any mistakes you notice and any constructive critisim! I am absolute trash for this ship so lets go y'all!!!!
> 
> [Lanadelgod](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanadelgod/works) is my beta and shes the best.
> 
> I also started a sideblog for my Harringrove and Stucky content so come find me on tumblr  here  and lets bond over man pain

It all started as a joke, he thought. Hey Steve, why don’t you just try and be friends with Billy? He _did_save us at Starcourt. Max had to be joking with that.

Steve should have told Max that it was a pipe dream, nothing good could come from doing anything with Billy, no matter what he did at Starcourt.

After that, it was a running theme in the group. _Hey Steve, did you see Billy sitting over there waiting for Max? Maybe you should go sit with him!_

Or: _Hey Steve, Billy came into the store the other day, you just missed him!_

Or: _Hey Steve, Billy was wearing that stupid red shirt the other day and he even had it buttoned up, you missed it!_

The kids didn’t seem to properly understand that there was too much bad blood between them, and that even though Billy had almost killed himself saving El and the kids, there was really nothing in common between them. Well, not much at least. They both had firsthand knowledge of the nightmares that plagued Hawkins, Steve supposed, and a horrible smoking problem – though he kept his well-hidden. That could be enough to build a friendship on, right? He didn’t have all that much in common with the kids at first, aside from the same – minus the smoking problem, thankfully.

Steve was lost in thought, bouncing between the Billy Problem and his own personal life problems. He finally voiced some of his non-Billy related concerns to Robin, cutting through the silence of the store. “Do you think that there is even a point in applying for schools?”

“Depends on if your transcript has suddenly improved since the 7 other schools turned you down,” Robin replied from a few rows back.

They were both at work and it was a slow, slow day, allowing Steve to have a horrible amount of time to think of things like the events of last year, his still career-less life, and his father’s continuing disappointment. Last year didn’t sting as much anymore, and he didn’t have the constant embarrassment of the Scoops Ahoy uniform anymore at least. This year, he was more down about his father and the lack of overall life direction or ambition.

No matter how much Steve enjoyed his life – he had time with the kids, got to spend time with Robin and was having fun working at the video store – there was still something missing. He hadn’t managed to have anything really meaningful relationship wise lately, which didn’t help the sinking feeling of missing out on life.

Hawkins was like a cult; you get in and you never really get out. He was beginning to think he wouldn’t be getting out honestly.

That was fine, all of that was fine, he just wanted something more. And at this moment, more was hopefully going to be college. Or something like that.

“What about a community college?” Robin piped up, her freckled face appearing between the shelves for a moment. “Why do you have to go to a big university? A community college can help get you ready for all that if you want to go there later on.” She paused before chuckling and adding, “And that would help with your transcript problem.”

Steve sighed and threw a VHS on the shelf before answering, “I guess, I just don’t even know if there is a point in a community college. Dad thinks anything less than a fancy college education doesn’t matter.” Steve watched as Robin moved to reorganize the same shelf Steve had reorganized earlier, and that she had done the day before. They really were slow this week.

Blinking blearily at the monotony of their work, Steve shoved the last of his tapes on the shelf. “Look, I’m gonna get outta here. My mom is actually at the house and wants me to pick up some stuff at the store before I go home.” He moved to grab his things from behind the counter and listened as Robin sputtered incredulously before waving him off. Steve walked out the door, thinking to himself that Robin didn’t need him around on a slow day anyway, and certainly not while he was just ruminating – he was trying to use new words – on a bunch of negative shit. Better he leaves and tries to shake off this funk, he thought, hoping Keith didn’t find out. Robin wouldn’t sell him out though, she was good like that. Had his back.

The door to the store opened and Robin yelled out something about seeing him for basketball tomorrow. He waved a hand in acknowledgment, already making his way down the block. He walked to work today. He liked walking sometimes, as it gave him a chance to get out and get some fresh air. The store was close by, too; his mom had given him a list, but it shouldn’t be too much to carry. He could use the workout anyway.

Making his way into the store, he dug out the list: potatoes, milk, cauliflower, and a cantaloupe. What his mom wanted to make, he didn’t know, and if this was all the ingredients, he didn’t _want _to know. His parents weren’t around a lot, but when they were, his mom liked to cook, and even if it wasn’t great, he liked to put up a good front. Maybe tonight would be the night she finally discovered he only liked 10% of what she cooked. Hopefully not, he thought. It was easier to keep the peace.

As Steve was standing by the cantaloupes, _how do you tell a ripe cantaloupe anyway_, he noticed someone knock over a thing of strawberries. Before he could think twice, he made his way over and squatted down to help clean everything up. Only then did he notice the rings and long-sleeved shirt that were attached to one Billy Hargrove. Truly, his day had taken a weird turn.

“Hey man, sorry, you don’t have to help, I’ve got it,” Billy said quickly, adamantly staring at the seemingly hundreds of berries on the ground, scrambling to grab one before it rolled under the display.

“It’s fine, dude, I can help, it’s no big deal,” Steve replied, trying to balance the berries in his hands. Billy didn’t respond, just kept looking resolutely at the ground and picking up berries. Steve could see why; they weren’t friends and probably wouldn’t be, no matter what the kids said. Any relationship between them was never realized, and probably would never be realized, after their fight and then the incident at Starcourt. While they had the possibility of a good foundation for bonding, it just never came to fruition.

After everything was cleaned up, Billy seemed intent on leaving the scene as fast as possible, but Steve, stuck on the wild ideas and urgings of the kids, had different plans.

“Hey man,” Steve reached a hand out to grab Billy’s arm. “I’m playing basketball with some friends tomorrow at 10, down at that abandoned court by Loch Nora. It wouldn’t be the worst, you know, if you wanted to come?”

Steve could see the hesitation and feel the tension in Billy. Clearly, Steve miscalculated, and they certainly were not at the touching or hanging-out stage. He moved his hand away, watching Billy’s hand flex.

“Why?” Billy asked, and honestly, Steve didn’t know why he asked. He just knew that he wanted to in that moment.

“Look, I know we’re not friends, but why not come hang out. I never see you around with any of the guys anymore. Figured maybe you could use a friend and some laughs.” That sounded good. It sounded like Steve had thought about this before and hadn’t just blurted it out.

“I don’t need your pity invite Harrington; I don’t need shit from you.”

Steve sighed; he didn’t exactly expect a resounding yes, but maybe not such a harsh no. “It’s not a pity invite, dickhead. Max is always saying we would get along and we need someone else to have a real game. Try to lighten up.”

It was hypocritical, he knew, to tell someone to lighten up but still. At least he wasn’t the one snapping over a basketball invite.

“Man, I don’t need to lighten up. What I need is for everyone in this shithole of a town to stop acting like I’m some charity case. And I need Max to stop running her fucking mouth. She doesn’t know shit.” Steve chose not to comment on the venom in his tone, finding it ridiculous that he still held on to so much anger and hatred after all this time, all they’ve all been through. He really _was _just trying to be nice.

“I know you’re not some charity case, shitbird, I was just trying to be nice, Christ! Last time I’ll try that shit,” Steve replied, throwing his hands up. He felt a flash of irritation at the Party, noting with righteous indignance that the kids didn’t know what they were talking about. If Billy wanted to be alone, so fucking be it.

Steve turned and left, letting Billy be Billy_. I don’t even know why I tried, there’s no point, _he thought. He grabbed his cantaloupe, still not sure if it was ripe, and paid for it along with the other goods. His mom was waiting after all.

Walking home, Steve couldn’t help but feel frustrated and, the more he thought on it, let down. Sure, he wasn’t as popular as he used to be, but generally, he thought he was a good guy. Better than ever, he hoped. He tried to treat people better, but maybe he hadn’t done enough if even Billy Hargrove wouldn’t listen to him. Man, he was a sad sack of shit today.

The night passed, dinner was pasta, not some random potato cantaloupe creation thankfully, and he got in some time with his mom. It occurred to him that his mom didn’t really know him anymore and he didn’t really know her. Conversation was stilted, but clearly, she loved him, she just didn’t know all the things he had gone through. She never would, Steve knew, but at the very least, they could bond over smaller things. She probably still thought he was King Steve. Hell, sometimes _he_ still thought he was King Steve, but he knew keenly that that chapter of his life was permanently closed.

Morning came too early. Steve slept fine, but not as peacefully or comfortable as he’d like, kind of like how things were going for him lately. Fine, but not great. By 8 am, he grew restless enough that he figured it would be worth it to look up some community colleges. If the one in Bloomington took him, he could still live home, see the kids, pretend to bond with his mother some more. Maybe he would get a dog. Maybe he would just get a whole apartment, if his dad wasn’t happy about the community college thing.

Rolling up to basketball was bittersweet. Steve still felt like a moron for asking Billy and he knew he was going to get schooled by Robin. Alex and Craig were waiting, lazily stretching and bouncing the ball. He had met them in middle school and, even though they weren’t close anymore, they still liked to play some pickup ball occasionally.

Steve made some light conversation. Craig worked at his dad’s construction company and Alex was freshly back from school, having hung back to do an internship, so they had some cool stories to tell. It was nice to have some normal friends, outside the supernatural bullshit and the gaggle of children he hung out with. Waiting for Robin and their other friend Jack to show up was a chance to get a lap or two in, but once they showed up it was time for a seriously dirty game of basketball. No teams, lots of fouls.

Initially, when they started playing, the guys weren’t happy about Robin joining in. She’s a girl, and clearly, they weren’t _drinking their respect women juice_. It didn’t matter in the end though, she schooled them so hard that the guys pretty much just considered her a god rather than a girl. Steve felt similarly, watching her dunk for the 4thtime on Alex.

Somewhere around Robin’s 16thpoint, Alex walked off the court. Steve chuckled and ignored it, assuming he was irked by Robin’s winning streak. He continued to ignore it, as he was busy getting his ass kicked, but when he noticed it had been quite a bit, he looked over and his jaw literally dropped. There stood Billy Hargrove, in a full sweat-suit, talking to Alex like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t been an absolute asshole about the invitation in the first place.

During his gaping, Robin scored another point and nailed him with the basketball in celebration. Billy glanced in Steve’s direction after Robin yelped in laughter and finally noticed that he was being stared at. In an effort to recover, Steve walked over to say hey, tripping on a rock as he did. Billy looked wary, which was not Steve’s intentions whatsoever. Steve didn’t know his intentions, but he knew it wasn’t to make Billy feel unwelcome.

“Hey man, didn’t think you were going to make it.” At Steve’s greeting, Alex took off to argue what the teams would be, now that they had an even number again.

“Yeah, I didn’t either. Figured there was no reason to miss out on showing you up again though,” Billy said with a smirk that held none of his usual charisma. “I’m on shirts, if that’s how this is gonna be broken up though.”

Steve’s brow furrowed, a hand going on his hip as he stared bemusedly at Billy. “Really? Thought you were usually a skins kind of guy.”

Billy’s jaw clenched and he replied, “Yeah, well, shit changes, Harrington. You know that. Let’s get this shit going.” Billy turned to walk away, headed for the argument going on between the other 4, and Steve noticed a slight hitch in his step that he hadn’t before. Billy was favoring his right leg. It made him wonder what else he hadn’t noticed about Billy.

But Billy wanted to play, and so they did. Maybe the kids would be right, maybe it wouldn’t be a joke after all; Maybe Billy and he would be friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my bestie lanadelgod for the beta! If y'all are into Game of Thrones she has an amazing Rob/Jon fic you should check out!
> 
> Find me at billyhargrovesmustache.tumblr.com
> 
> Hope you enjoy! I've got an idea of where this is going now which is nice lmao

It wasn’t that Steve didn’t want to be friends with Billy.

Really, it was just that it was weird. It was just plain weird. So much had happened, making it hard to reconcile this new Billy with the older Billy stuck in his mind’s eye. He was the one who hated Max, and Hawkins, and especially Steve. It also made it even harder to imagine this Billy, who was different, took up less space, with flayed Billy, the one caught between the past and the present. The guy who was brainwashed into leading so many people to their death.

Steve was different in a lot of ways, too. It seemed like every time Hawkins got up to its weird shit, it left him just a little off kilter. Every time, a small piece of him was taken and turned ugly and different.

He didn’t have nightmares, not the way that some of the kids did. He had strange dreams, but they didn’t terrify him; they haunted him. His dreams, and his real life, made him wary of the shadows and all the things that he now knew they held. Billy was one of those shadows. If he was being honest with himself, he had been since he showed up.

That was mostly what made this whole friendship thing, and the basketball incident, as he took to calling it, so much weirder. The game itself was great. The sides came down to Robin, Craig, and Jack versus Billy, Alex, and Steve, which was a more even matchup. However, Robin still dominated, leading her team to a win. Billy wasn’t as aggressive as he once was, resulting in a less physical game than it could have been, but still they put up a respectable amount of points. The final score of 44 to 28 had Robin cackling and parading around Steve as if she had won the NBA championship.

And, in the most unexpected turn of events, Billy and Robin got on like a house on fire.

Steve didn’t know why he didn’t expect it, in retrospect. It made sense that Robin, as the persistent bane of his existence, would love Billy, the biggest shit-talker in the town. They could team up and harass Steve ceaselessly, which would no doubt please them both.

After the game got called, Billy and Robin hung around on a dilapidated bench on the side of the court, talking about the game’s stats while Steve went to chat with the other guys for a bit. He wasn’t particularly eager to put himself in the line of fire with the two of them.

As Steve stood alongside the others as they discussed their plans for the rest of the summer. He sighed and scuffed his foot on the asphalt, realizing that it was turning to fall, and his summer was coming to a swift end.

Billy would be healthy enough to return to school, Steve knew that much from the rumor mill. His return was much anticipated by the female student body, of which Robin was included now – in a way. Steve snuck a glance back at the two of them and watched them share a laugh. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, assuming it was probably about him.

The town didn’t know much about what had happened. Speculation ran rampant, but the official story was that Billy had been at the mall to pick up the kids when they noticed smoke. Billy, ever the altruist, had gone in to see if everyone was out and safe when a ceiling had collapsed on him. Despite his extensive injuries, he was supposedly able to drag himself to safety where the cops had showen up promptly.

Steve could see how the story was believable. The mall was completely fucked up, and Billy looked like he’d been through the ringer. Actually, if Steve admitted the truth, Billy had looked like he was dead. Until one of the cops found a faint pulse, they certainly all thought so. Christ, Max had been a wreck.

But Billy was fine, as far as Steve could tell. Physically, at least. He was here, too, and apparently new best friends with Robin.

The guys said their goodbyes. Steve made tentative plans to play some street hockey on Saturday with Alex. Honestly, aside from Robin and Dustin, Alex had become Steve’s best friend. He was a solid dude who had known him since middle school, since before he was King Steve, or Tommy H. and Carol’s Steve, or Nancy’s Steve, or even Steve “The Hair” Harrington. Even while he was at school Alex had been a solid dude, always picking up when Steve called.

Steve knew that while he couldn’t really say what had happened the first, second, and now third time things went to shit in Hawkins, Alex would still listen. He’s never told Steve he was crazy or dumb, unlike admittedly a lot of other people Steve spends time with. Alex was a good dude, and Steve wanted to be a better friend to him before he had to head back to school.

The guys left, and somehow Billy and Robin were still talking. Steve continued to scuff his feet on the asphalt, squinting at the setting sun with his hands on his hips. He chanced a look over at the two.

Billy looked good.

Even in a full sweat suit, he still looked lean and muscular. His blue eyes and sandy blonde hair still striking, even sweaty and in the fading light. And not that Steve was looking, but his ass still couldn’t be beat.

If Robin wasn’t gay, Steve could see them getting together. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, consuming him momentarily as he stared at the two of them smiling at one another. Really, he couldn’t see anyone not wanting to be with Billy, even if he was a total ass. Steve assumed this was what the entire student body saw in Billy, too.

A striking and untouchable boy who would grow into a striking and untouchable man.

Now that he was a hero, the attention he got would absolutely increase. Steve knew he’d find it exceedingly irritating and he was suddenly glad he wouldn’t be in school to witness it.

“Hey losers, let’s go. Hathaway’s waits for no man!” Steve yelled across the court to them. “Or- uhh – woman!”

As they made their way across the court, Steve couldn’t help but notice that Billy’s limp was worse. He hadn’t noticed during the game, but he hadn’t noticed anything happening to him either.

“Alright dingus, you’re buying since I decided to grace you with my presence today,” Robin said as she slung an arm around his shoulder. Steve checked over their shoulders and noticed that Billy wasn’t with them, he was about 5 feet behind bouncing the basketball as he walked.

“You have any plans man? Wanna go with us? I’m buying, apparently.”

It made Steve’s heart twinge to see Billy look clearly hesitant, gearing up to say no. Steve was filled with dread for a moment as he remembered the grocery store debacle. Luckily Robin was Robin, and blew right past Billy's discomfort, hustling them to Steve’s car and completely ignoring any of Billy’s protest.

The drive to Hathaway’s was nothing special, even though Steve felt like it should have been, seeing as he and Billy didn’t have the best history and had never hung out before today.

Shockingly normal is the term that comes to mind when thinking about this whole day honestly. Steve even felt comfortable enough to hope the normalcy would continue into some burgers and coffee.

He should’ve known not to hope.

Robin and Billy chattered all the way from the car to a booth in the back of the diner. Billy had some shocking opinions on the Chicago Blackhawks and Robin adamantly told him exactly why he was wrong. It was kind of charming, listening to them prattle on as he dumped a load of ketchup on his fries, right up until Dustin popped up in all his glory.

“Steve! I thought you said you couldn’t go out today,” Dustin squealed while leaning over the booth, reaching out to flick at Steve’s face.

“I am, dude. I’m hanging out with actual grown-up, non-nerd squad friends for once,” Steve said as he spread his arms wide gesturing to Billy and Robin. “See, friends right here, hanging out.”

“Uh, yeah, I see Robin, noted grown-up friend, still total nerd, but what the hell is Billy doing here?”

Steve’s eyes widened and he swung out to smack the kid on the shoulder. “Dude, what the fuck? Relax!” He exclaimed, giving Dustin his meanest stare. His eyes glanced behind the kid’s shoulder to see his mom at the counter talking to one of the chefs.

“First off, ow? Second, you relax, do you not remember what happened?!” Dustin screeched, outraged. “This is not up for debate, Steven. We have _discussed __this_!”

The aggression in Dustin surprised Steve, even though maybe it shouldn’t have. He and Dustin _had _discussed this. He knew that there wasn’t really that much support for Steve to be friends with Billy, no matter the running commentary in the Party. It was the biggest thing Dustin fundamentally disagreed with them on. But he still didn’t need to be saying this to _Billy’s face._It was just rude.

“Dude, outside, now,” Steve stated, moving to grab Dustin and yanking him out front. Honestly, the kid had no manners. If Steve didn’t know the saint that was Dustin’s mom, he would swear he was raised in a barn. He and Mrs. H raised him better than this. Part of him wanted to go get her and tell her, but he knew none of this could be explained.

The thing was, Steve still didn’t know what he wanted with Billy, but he was pretty sure that Billy being at the diner with him was _big_and he didn’t want to fuck it up. He _certainly _didn’t want Dustin to fuck it up.

“Man, you have got to chill,” Steve exclaimed, waving his hands around. “You can’t just run up to people and say shit like that. It’s, like, so rude, dude!”

“What do you expect me to do?! You’re sitting there with Billy like he didn’t try to _murder you_!”

Steve was mad, that much was clear; and he was getting madder as he went on.

“Literally I can’t even deal with this. He saved your life! And my life! He saved all of our lives, and all of Hawkins! And probably the world!”

“That doesn’t matter! As your best friend, it is my job to warn you about psychos who want to kill you.” Steve scoffed at Dustin. He was truly getting worked up over nothing. He was sitting with the guy, not sticking his tongue down his throat. Besides, he had Robin there, too. He didn’t see Dustin giving _Robin _the third degree about hanging out.

“And to stop them if _you _won’t,” Dustin said shoving a finger into his chest.

“Dustin, there is nothing to stop, if you just relax for one minute, you’ll-” Steve got cut off just as he was gearing up by the door to the diner opening. Billy walked out looking thoroughly shamed and, to Steve’s surprise, a bit hurt, his brows furrowed. This was something that Steve was not used to seeing on his face, none of his usual charisma to be found. As soon as he spotted it though, Billy steeled himself once again and the vulnerability was gone.

They locked eyes as the door was closing behind Billy and before Steve really knew what was going on, the guy took off down the street.

“Hey, Billy, wait up one second!” Steve brushed past Dustin to take off after him. Billy set a breakneck pace and Steve had to pick it up to catch up. “Hey man,” Steve stilled Billy with a hand on his shoulder that was quickly shaken off as Billy turned on him.

“Look Harrington, it’s fine. It’s not like I don’t know what those little shitheads think about me. Max is always screaming her head off about it, even now.” He crossed and uncrossed his arms. Steve thought it was weird, how even though Billy seemed less like the Billy he knew with each interaction, he still seemed to take up so much space. “It was fine to play ball, but we should probably leave it at that. Not like were gonna be friends or nothin’. Don’t need those losers freaking out every time they see me like I’m gonna kill you or somethin’.”

Deep down Steve thought he was right. He and Billy _weren’t _friends. They hadn’t really ever been anything except enemies. As Billy turned back around to leave, Dustin ran back up to him, starting to chatter on about having left Robin alone and if they were gonna go meet the party at the arcade. Steve’s last nerve was aflame, his hands coming up to shove Dustin toward the building in frustration.

As they went back inside, he looked back and he could just see Billy rounding the corner. Sighing, he couldn’t help but feel like he may have fucked something up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left me comments, kudos or subscribed! It made me unnaturally hype so that was lit


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